Welcome to Windows 7 Forums. Our forum is dedicated to helping you find support and solutions for any problems regarding your Windows 7 PC be it Dell, HP, Acer, Asus or a custom build. We also provide an extensive Windows 7 tutorial section that covers a wide range of tips and tricks.

Shut Down Windows - Change "Install Updates and Shut Down" as Default

How to Change "Install Updates and Shut Down" as Default Choice in Shut Down Windows Dialog

Information

This will show you how to manage whether the Install Updates and Shut Down option is allowed to be the default choice in the ALT+F4 Shut Down Windows dialog and Start Menu "Shut Down" power button with alert shield icon for users in Windows 7 when important or critical Windows Updates are available for installation.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Note

If you enable this policy setting, the user's last shut down choice (Hibernate, Restart, etc.) setting is the default option in the "Shut Down Windows" dialog box, regardless of whether the 'Install Updates and Shut Down' option is available in the 'What do you want the computer to do?' list. The alert shield on the Shut Down Start Menu power button will no longer display on it, even if important or critical Windows Updates are available for installation.

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the 'Install Updates and Shut Down' option will be the default option in the "Shut Down Windows" dialog box and Start Menu power button (alert shield on Shut Down button) when important or critical Windows Updates are available for installation.

Warning

If you have the Windows Update settings set to Never check for updates, then the "Install Updates and Shut Down" option will not display no matter what this policy is set to.

If you have the "Install Updates and Shut Down" option disabled, then the policy setting in this tutorial will be overridden and have no impact.

EXAMPLE: As Default Option Start Menu Power Button and "Shut Down Windows" Dialog

Thanks for posting this. I get annoyed when I am installing software and need to restart only to find that the Start power button has changed to Install updates and shut off. I want to exercise some control over my system and have MS Update set to download updates but let me choose whether to install them. But with the default set to download and shut off, it felt like my wishes were being ignored.

Where exactly is the LocalGroup Policy Editor? It looks like you're saying to go to: Users > Choose a user > and this option will be listed somewhere ...

When I booted up this morning, this new Shut Down feature was added, AND I lost my Quick Launch, which I can get back, but it doesn't stay. I'm thinking my computer updated and changed something without letting me know first.

That path is for the left pane in the Local Group Policy Editor. However, the LocalGroup Policy Editor is not included in the Windows 7 Home Premium edition, so you will need to use OPTION ONE with the .reg file to set this with instead.

Every second Tuesday of the month is Windows Update patch day. Since you had important and critical updates available because it was Patch Tuesday, this would be why you got Shutdown with the little shield icon on your Start Menu power button.

Not sure about Quick Launch, but that's a separate issue for a separate new thread in General Discussion. For now, you can see if the information and tip at the top of the Quick Launch tutorial may be able to help.

Windows Update patch day? How about "Microsoft Help Hotline Mondays?" It would be really nice if there was a dialog box explaining what happened on reboot, so we'd know for the next time (with a check box to not show that window again of course). What other surprises do I have to look forward to in Windows 7? That was rhetorical... But really, I've had to schedule time every day to search answers for Windows 7 issues. Good thing I'm not the only one, and I'm thankful for this forum!

Now I have to figure out why my Quick Launch icons keep spontaneously rearranging, now that I have it back ... Thank you for the link on that!

Keyboard Toshiba Flash Cards Support Driver Mouse Synaptics PS/2 Port TouchPad Hard Drives TOSHIBA MK3275GSX SATA Disk Device Other Info Two "AMD E-300 APU with Radeon HD Graphics" Processors,
One "Chicony USB 2.0 Camera" Camera And
One "Microsoft Composite Battery", "Microsoft AC Adapter" and "Microsoft ACPI-Complaint Control Method Battery"
I have a laptop (I use this regularly) and a desktop that i don't use that much except for when my laptop breaks/gets infected with a virus.

If you mean the "Shut Down Windows" dialog box, then you could click on an empty area of the desktop, and press Alt+F4 to open it. Be careful though. Alt+F4 closes whatever is in focus, so that's why you must click on the desktop first to bring it in focus.

If you like, you could also use the shortcut in the tutorial below for it to avoid accidentally closing something you didn't want to.

Shut Down Windows - Change "Install Updates and Shut Down" as Default

"You are about to be logged off" "Windows will shut down in 1 minute"I am ashamed to say I seem to have obtained some sort of malware, virus, or perhaps some some "funny" fella using a .bat or .vbs file. At seemingly random times a window will pop up:
http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/Shifty--/Untitled-5_zpsef92dd8e.jpg
I highly doubt this is anything...

System Security

Windows unable to shut down ("Waiting For Shut Down" "This Program isGoogle knows nothing of this problem. every time I try to shut down my inspiron 1525, it cannot shut down! it says ""Waiting For Shut Down." "This Program is preventing Windows from shutting down"" force shutdown doesn't do anything. I have to hold the power button to hard shut down

General Discussion

"Windows Error Recovery" System did not shut down properlyI've recently been getting this message when playing Rust and Sniper Elite V2, I also get it if I bump my computer desk too hard. I tried the "Last Known Good Configuration" fix but it didn't work, and I tried the "Repair Your Computer" option, but when I get to the log-in part, my keyboard won't...

Performance & Maintenance

Endless updates when PC is "Shut Down"I have a rig that is endlessly updating when the PC is "Shut Down"
Two days ago I installed Bitdefender onto the PC (via down load on my laptop)
Then connected the PC to the router/web
Then updated Bitdefender
Last night 196 updates 10 hours later was still running
Tonight 132 updates still...

General Discussion

Shut Down Windows - Enable or Disable "Install Updates and Shut Down"How to Enable or Disable "Install Updates and Shut Down" Option in Windows 7
This will show you how to enable or disable the Install Updates and Shut Down shield on the Start Menu "Shut Down" power button and option in the ALT+F4 Shut Down Windows dialog box for users in Windows 7 when...

Tutorials

Start menu -> Shutdown Button - "shut down" and "sleep"Hi. Start menu -> I can only see shut down, or sleep, depending on how it's configured, but to access other power options I have to click on the small white arrow to the right of the power button.
So if the default setting of the big button is shutdown then it's a hassle to choose sleep because...